Thanks to the massive heat wave that came through, our pool has felt like bath water.
Courtesy of Sarah Shrader
I feel like the older I get the more thankful I am for summer. I mean, it may not quite add up to the gratefulness I felt when I was a kid when I actually didn’t have to do anything in the summer. But, even with working through the summer, and all the craziness our summer has already brought, I am still thankful for the steady slowdown during the week.
I am thankful for sleep-ins and sleepovers and sleep anywhere you want. Want to crash on the couch tonight? No problem. Stay up and catch up on a show or watch a movie? Go for it. With no first thing in the morning priorities or bus chasing before the sunrises, plus with my girls getting a little bit older and better able to handle their sleep schedules, the stress of bedtime and mornings just seems less overbearing and more freeing.
Just like evening, after dinner or night swims. Thanks to the massive heat wave that came through last week, our above ground marketplace find pool (on summer number three) has felt like bath water. Which means, these kiddos have been able to take full advantage of jumping in when the sun goes down (sometimes, even in their clothes). Which is nice to be able to take advantage of in the evening since it is mostly off limits during the day while I work.
And there’s something about an ice cold sparkling water and sitting by the pool just before dark with friends. Thankfully, many of our neighborhood friends have been able to join in the evening as well – not sure if all of us mamas just finally decided this is the year to really not care about bedtimes at all or what. Ha.
Most of the sports have at least slowed down as well – we still have a few that these kids are dedicated to and working on – but it is way less hectic than it is during the school year when we are running nightly. It has taken me some time to get used to having some free evening here or there.
If we aren’t swimming, then my most favorite pastime besides that so far this summer has been evening naps. I cannot explain the feeling of cuddling up in my bed after a day of work and just shutting it down for a few. There’s a calmness in knowing that no one has to be anywhere for the next hour or two and dinner can wait (because, let’s be honest, everyone has already snacked anyway).
Sure, I should have started my summer workout routine and probably need to get these kids reading a few nights a week – maybe throw some math flashcards in as well. But that’s the beauty of June (and heck, maybe July as well). It is just a break – for all of us! Routines, schedules, learning and responsibilities that can be put off for a bit and picked back up.
It’s refreshing and rejuvenating and much needed. For the kids? Absolutely. But also, and maybe even more so, for us mamas. Yes, there is still laundry that needs done and dinners that need cooked and dishes that need washed – those things don’t ever seem to go away. But, the time crunch of completing them just seems more slack in the summer.
It’s a time to soak in the moments with the kiddos – sit and relax a little. Scoop up some ice cream at 10 p.m. just because or make a candy salad because that’s the new hype these days. It’s finding frogs – and then finding more frogs. Watching flowers bloom and vegetables grow and getting a glimpse of the speed at which their beauty shines – which is slow and steady – exactly how the summer should be.
Swimsuits and towels. Sunscreen and bug spray. Marshmallows and chocolate. Friends and fellowship. Snuggles and sleep ins. Giggles and laughter. Night swims and lightning bugs. Slow downs and naps. And all the love and memories made.
This summer, I am fully enjoying every single second of the beauty around me. I think I finally stopped longing for the days of when I was a child and had zero responsibilities and opened my eyes up to all the benefits that summer still brings as a mama. Comparison is the thief of joy – I used that as a reminder to someone just the other day, and I am pretty sure I needed to hear it myself as well.
These summer days right in front of me are bringing forth so many gifts – I just needed to take some time to stop, look around and thank the good Lord for every single one. And I feel like this year, more than ever, I am taking full advantage of all that the summer has to offer.
Sarah (Pitson) Shrader was born and raised in Lima. She is a Lima Central Catholic and Tiffin University graduate. Sarah is a full-time working mama who enjoys writing about her somewhat crazy, always adventurous life as a mom and bonus mom. She lives in Bath Township with her husband, Lee Parsons, and their seven kids.
